Peru, the country with the highest mortality from Covid-19 in the world, announced the first four cases of the Omicron variant on its territory on Sunday, against the backdrop of the resurgence of the pandemic.
“
Unfortunately, we already have four confirmed cases of Omicron in Peru,
” Health Minister Hernando Cevallos told reporters.
Read also Covid-19: Peru counts more than 100 dead in 24 hours
Among these people, there is at least one woman and a nine-year-old boy.
The woman, whose nationality was not specified, had arrived from South Africa, authorities said.
The minister called an emergency meeting of experts to discuss the advisability of adopting additional restrictions in the face of Covid-19.
The number of contaminations has recently doubled there
He also called on the population to go to vaccination centers to prevent "
the third wave from breaking out and causing us the same damage as before
". In Peru, a health pass certifying the injection of at least two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is required to enter businesses, work in confined spaces and use public transport.
The number of contaminations there recently doubled to reach more than 1,500 per day and that of deaths more than 50 per day.
The government has banned family gatherings and parties for Christmas and New Years and has stepped up the vaccination campaign.
About 73% of the Peruvian population has received two doses of the vaccine.
The Andean country, with a population of 33 million, has the highest pandemic death rate in the world, at 6,122 deaths per million inhabitants, according to AFP data based on official figures.
In total, more than two million cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Peru, of which more than 201,000 have been fatal.
